AML Search Profiles & Matching

AML Search Profiles let you decide exactly which AML lists an applicant is screened against and how strictly names are matched. Instead of one screening setup for your whole business, you can create a separate profile for each flow. For example, one profile could screen EU customers against EU sanctions, and another could run a broader global PEP check for high-risk onboarding.

With search profiles you can:

• Pick specific lists from more than 1,000 sanctions, warnings, fitness & probity, PEP and adverse media collections.
• Combine several matching profiles in one search profile, each with its own lists and matching rules.
• Tune name fuzziness and noise-reduction rules to cut false positives without missing real hits (false negatives).
• Attach a different search profile to each flow through the AML block in the Flow Builder.

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Matching techniques

Fuzzy match

Fuzzy matching controls how closely a name must match the spelling of a list entry. It catches spelling variants, typos and transliterations, e.g. Mohammed / Mohamed / Muhammad.

• In a search profile you set this with the Name fuzziness slider, from 0% (Strict Match) to 100% (Broad Match). The higher the fuzziness, the more spelling variation is accepted.
• Up to 1 phonetic typo per word of the search term is allowed.
• Similarity has a bigger effect on short names than on long ones, because a single-letter difference is a larger share of a short word.

Exact match

Exact matching allows no spelling or phonetic variation. Word order can differ, e.g. John Smith matches Smith John, but extra words are not allowed. Titles such as Mr. or Dr. are compared as they are.

In a search profile, turn on Exact match only (all sources) or Adverse media exact match only (adverse media sources only).

Exact match vs strictest fuzzy match

Setting fuzziness to 0% is not the same as turning on Exact match only:

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How it works

Search Profile  (e.g. "EU Customer Screening")
│   Countries: apply to all matching profiles
│
├── Matching Profile 1
│     ├── Datasets: EU sanctions lists
│     └── Matching configuration: fuzziness + rules
│
└── Matching Profile 2
      ├── Datasets: PEP + Adverse Media
      └── Matching configuration: fuzziness + rules

When a journey reaches the AML block, IDWise screens the applicant against every matching profile in the selected search profile and returns the combined results in the journey.

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Create a search profile

1. In the IDWise Portal, go to Settings → AML Search Profiles.
2. Click Add Profile.
3. Enter a name (e.g. EU Customer Screening AML Search Profile) and, optionally, a description so your team knows what the profile is for.
4. Under Countries apply to all matching profiles, keep Global (all countries) or select specific countries. This country scope applies to every matching profile in the search profile.
5. Set up Matching Profile 1 (see below). To add more, click + Add Matching Profile.
6. Click Save configuration.

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Configure a matching profile

1. Select datasets

1. In the Dataset section, click Edit Datasets.
2. Filter by category (All, Sanctions, Warnings, Fitness Probity, Peps, Adverse Media) and/or type in the search box to find lists by name, e.g. EU.
3. Tick the lists you want to include. Use the header checkbox to select every visible list at once.
4. Click Apply selection.

The selected lists appear in the Dataset table with their Source, Category and Location, together with a summary of how many lists and entries are covered.

Configure the Matching Profile Paramters

You can configure different search paramters for each matching profile according to the senstivity of the datasets in your matching profile and your risk policy.

The following images has 2 sections:

1. Configure Name Fuzziness

The Name fuzziness slider controls how closely a name must match a list entry, from 0% (Strict Match) to 100% (Broad Match). The default is 50%.

Fuzziness has a greater effect on short names than on long ones.

2. Adjust matching rules

Matching rules are grouped in two tabs:

• Reduce Noise Config: rules that remove low-value matches to lower false positives.
• Find More Matches Config: rules that widen matching to lower false negatives.

All rules are off by default. Turn a rule on with its toggle.

Reduce Noise Config

Name matching

Country and entity filters

Profile status filters

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Use a search profile in a flow

1. Open your flow in the Flow Builder.
2. Add or select the AML block.
3. In the block settings, choose the Search Profile to use.
4. Save and publish the flow.

Each flow can use a different search profile, so you can apply stricter screening to high-risk products and lighter screening elsewhere.

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Manage search profiles

Settings → AML Search Profiles lists all profiles for the selected business:

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Example setups

These are starting points to adapt to your own risk policy, not compliance recommendations.

EU retail onboarding

Reducing alert volume on a high-volume flow

• Lower fuzziness on noisy lists (warnings, adverse media) before touching sanctions.
• Turn on All words mandatory to stop partial-name matches on common first names.
• Turn on Remove weak alias and Remove deceased.
• Review a sample of cleared alerts after each change to make sure no true matches are being dropped.

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FAQ

Can I use the same search profile in multiple flows?
Yes. A search profile can be selected in the AML block of any flow in the same business.

Why can't I save my search profile?
Every matching profile needs at least one dataset. Open Edit Datasets on any empty matching profile and select at least one list.

What's the difference between a search profile and a matching profile?
The search profile is what you attach to a flow. Matching profiles sit inside it and let you apply different lists and rules to different parts of your screening.